Where Could Tyrell Williams Land?
By: Sukhwant Singh
Intro
Tyrell Williams signed a four-year $44 million contract back in 2019 with then Oakland Raiders. He was supposed to be the next man up after the trade of Amari Cooper in 2018 and Jordy Nelson’s retirement in summer of 2019.
However, Williams never lived up to the contract with the Raiders. In 2019 he put up a 42/651/6 line. Not great numbers by any stretch. In September of 2020 he suffered a shoulder injury which effectively ended his season before it even began.
Moving on, Williams was released by the Las Vegas Raiders last month and now is a free agent. Williams can be an intriguing option for teams looking to add additional wide receiver depth. He can certainly fill that WR2-WR3 role well, however his days of be a WR1 might be over.
Let’s look at Williams’ numbers thus far throughout his career:
Total Games Started: 49
Total Receptions: 197
Total Yards: 3181
Total TDs: 23
Total Targets: 322
Not eye-popping numbers by any stretch but Williams is only 29 year old. He will be motivated after having missed the entire 2020 season. Teams might look to sign Williams to a one-year prove it type of a deal.
Below are some teams that can use his services and bolster their WR corps by adding Williams:
Baltimore Ravens – Cap Space: $18m
The Ravens could desperately use the likes of Williams in it’s offense. Willie Snead is a pending free agent, leaving behind the likes of Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay as the current wide-outs rostered on the team.
Williams is bigger body than Snead and can be that go-getter of the ball that Lamar Jackson hasn’t really had in his career thus far. Williams would bolster that WR room and really give the offense a lift.
Indianapolis Colts – Cap Space: $43m
T.Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal are free agents, with the latter being a restricted free agent. I do think the Colts will like to have Hilton back but only at certain price. He is 32 years old and there isn’t much left in the tank. Pascal since he is a restricted FA has a better chance of coming back.
Williams, a younger/cheaper option than Hilton can certain gather attention from the Colts management. He can easily play second fiddle to Michael Pittman Jr and compete with Pascal with the no.2 wide-out slot. With Carson Wentz now re-joining Frank Reich this can be a good spot for Williams to showcase his talents.
In the 2017 season with both Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery put an almost similar stat line with 57 plus catches and over 765 receiving yards each.
I certainly believe that if healthy Williams can match this production, if not exceed it.
Tennessee Titans – Cap Space: $1.6m
The Titans release Adam Humphries in late February and have Corey Davis set to this the FA market. Davis hasn’t really lived up to being the fifth overall pick taken in the 2017 draft. I do not see the Titans bringing him back. Davis finished the 2020 campaign with a 65/984/5 line.
Williams can be the Robin to A.J. Brown’s Batman. With Tannehill behind center and throwing for a career high 33 TDs in 2020, this is a spot that Williams can benefit greatly.
Most teams will have double coverage on Brown leaving Williams with single coverage most games. Williams can really shine in this role and put up good numbers. However, unlike the first two teams listed above the Titans will really need to work the cap to fit Williams in along with filling out the rest of their roster.
Wildcard Team:
Washington Football Team – Cap Space $38m
I list Washington as a wildcard team because right now there is some uncertainty at the QB situation. Alex Smith and WFT are expected to part ways.
The team re-signed Taylor Heinicke to a two-year deal but I’m not sure they are truly sold on him just yet. They have the 19th pick in this year’s draft along with eight total picks thus far. A move to secure another QB might be in the works.
Either way Williams can be a good fit along side Terry McLaurin. With ample cap space, WFT can easily afford Williams especially on a one-year prove it type deal.
Conclusion
Williams will find a home this off-season somewhere. He is a talented WR that for some reason has struggled the last couple of seasons. Be it injuries, offensive system, etc. he just hasn’t been able to repeat his 2016 season. Williams if in the right system and if able to stay healthy can have a good 2021 season.
You can reach me on Twitter: SinghisKing908
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